NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Castle, IN
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Castle, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 115 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 115
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for New Castle
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Castle; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near New Castle begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 3 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than New Castle. The highest rating among the 115 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on July 9, 1980, killed 2 people. Of the 115, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2025. New Castle has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1978, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than New Castle.
Compare New Castle's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Castle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Castle: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of New Castle
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s14
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s15(4 EF3+)
- 1960s21(7 EF3+)
- 1950s14
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 1980 | F4 | 22 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 20 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 11 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 19 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 22 mi | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 22 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 6 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 115, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Castle
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of New Castle since 1978, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 25, 2011. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Castle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Castle 3 SW, IN, 3 miles southwest of New Castle at 991 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.4 inches is more than at 64 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (56%). Middletown, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Anderson Sewage Plt, IN): 43.8 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 17 | 3.0 | 6 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 2.5 | 5 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 3.4 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 3.0 | 7 | 5.9 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 44.4 | 82 | 24.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Castle 3 SW, IN (991 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near New Castle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Castle: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $774,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 3, 2008. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than New Castle.
June 4, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of New Castle — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains swelled small streams and creeks in Henry County. A woman died attempting to cross a flooded bridge over Slow Run Creek, also known as Colony Creek, on County Road 250 North near Hillsboro Road around 5:30 AM EST.”
September 1, 2003: thunderstorm wind in New Castle — 1 injured, $200,000 damage.
April 14, 2006: thunderstorm wind in New Castle — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds damaged two trailers and an old store.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in New Castle's ZIP code 47362 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2000, and were paid $469,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from 2026-08-Indiana-Flooding in 2026: 12 claims (71% of all) and $428,000. 71% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 155 Indiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 27 have fewer than New Castle.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-Indiana-Flooding2026 | 12 | $428,000 |
Henry County, which includes New Castle, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.7 million a year, the 42nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (54%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near New Castle
- Shirley, IN11 mi
- Hagerstown, IN11 mi
- Middletown, IN11 mi
- Knightstown, IN12 mi
- Cambridge City, IN13 mi
- Markleville, IN14 mi
- Daleville, IN16 mi
- Chesterfield, IN17 mi
- Selma, IN18 mi
- Muncie, IN19 mi
- Yorktown, IN19 mi
- Parker City, IN20 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare New Castle with another place →